Our UK basketball pre/post game show will now be for EVERY GAME!

Join Jim Tirey, Ryan Lemond, and myself every game night for one hour before the game and for one hour after the game for a show that's centered around YOU the listener.

You'll hear our take on things, but we want to know what you have to think. This is the show where you can call in and be part of the show! Call 381-1313 or hit #1300 on your T-Moble Wireless Phone to get on the show.

We will be broadcasting from our downtown studio tonight for a pre/post game as UK takes on the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. We'll then be there Saturday for the game against Indiana.

Where has everyone been?

Well today's your chance to sound off. ANYTHING you want to talk about, we're all ears. Do you want to talk about UK travelling to play North Carolina tomorrow? Do you want to talk about what bowl Kentucky will be in for football? Do you wanna talk about NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB? Whatever it is, give us your best shot.

Allright, so the Cats are 4-2 now. After a tough going in Maui, the Kentucky Basketball team pulled out a win against the College of Charleston Cougars Tuesday night 77-61.

Kentucky held the Cougars to 37% from the field in the 1st half, which allowed them to go on a run that College of Charleston could not overcome.

Junior Randolph Morris scored 17 for the Cats, while Joe Crawford threw in 15, and Perry Stevenson contributed with 14.

Which brings me to my question...

What lineup would you like to see for the Cats this year? Does Perry Stevenson have to be in the game? Are there other areas that you think need to be addressed?

Let us know what you think!

Outside the Huddle

I have never been more excited at the prospect of a place opening in a long time. Right here in victorian square is going to be the best sports grille and pizzeria in town. Brooklyn sports grille will be open this Saturday dec 2nd what a great place to eat and watch the games.

Live Game Blog:

Are you watching the UK Memphis game on TV right now during the Huddle? If so, what do you think about the game? What do you think about the team in general? What do you want us to know? You guys make the blog today...

Weekend Recap:

The basketball team returns to form as Ramel Bradley contributes with 21 pts, 5 assists, and only 2 turnovers.

The football team eeeks out a close one 42-40 over Louisiana Monroe. Let's just be glad that they got this one out of their system before Tennessee and the bowl game.

The basketball team takes on DePaul tonight at 9pm in the start of the Maui Tournament.

Here are my questions to you all:
1. What did you think about the basketball game Friday? Did this reassure you after the Miami of OH game?
2. What did you think about the football game on Saturday?
3. What do you think about the upcoming game against Tennessee?
4. What do you think the Cats chances are of winning the Maui Tourney?

Cats 57 Miami University 46. UK is 1-0 (that's the important thing).

Sure, it wasn't the prettiest thing in the whole entire world, but that doesn't matter on paper. It matters when we analyze it, but years down the line when we look back at it, a win is a win is a win.

On our post game show, Jim Tirey, Ryan Lemond, and I, went in to depth about the game (by the way you can listen to us an hour before the game and an hour after the game). Here's what we came up with:

1. Stevenson is amazing. He had 7 blocks! Tubby has no choice but to play Stevenson because of his defense. Woo only had 8 minutes in this game because of the way Stevenson played.

2. Morris needs to be worked into the game more. He only had 7 shots the whole game. Stevenson maybe had 1 shot the whole first half. Where's the inside game? When Morris touches the ball at least once a possession, the offense runs much more smoothly.

3. Cut back on the turnovers

4. What happened to the uptempo game?

5. Jodie Meeks is going to be amazing.

Personally, I tend to side on the belief that this was the first real game. The freshmen were probably a little nervous. Rupp Arena has a different feeling from exhibition to regular season game... Wait until they've played a little bit before we jump all over them. Like I said before, a win is a win is a win.

Outside the Huddle

OK OK--- THROUGH MANY MANY DAYS OF BEGGING BY JOHN I WILL NOW POST MY FIRST BLOGGING EXPERIENCE.

I REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND ALL FUSS ABOUT THE BCS STANDINGS. AFTER ALL IN ANY SYSTEM YOU CAN PLAY THE WHAT IFS. ARGUABLY, IF THE WORLD SERIES WAS PLAYED AGAIN THE OUTCOME COULD BE "AND I SAY COULD BE" DIFFERENT. NCAA BASKETBALL IS EXCITING BECAUSE ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT A TEAM OF LESSER NOTABILITY CAN AND DOES WIN. NOW HOW IS THAT BEING SURE THE BEST TEAM IS THE NATIONAL CHAMPION. SEEMS TO ME IT IS THE BEST TEAM AT THE TIME. I THINK PROBABLY BECAUSE OF MY PSYCHOLOGY DEGREE AND THE COUTLESS HOURS YOU SPEND ON STATISTICAL PROBABILITY I AM IN TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE BCS. BASED ON ALL NUMBERS ABOUT WHO PLAYED WHO AND THE WON LOSS COLUMN THE STATISTICS ARE A BETTER GUAGE OF WHO REALLY DESERVES THE CHANCE TO PLAY FOR THE TITLE THAN ANY PLAYOFF SYSTEM COULD MUSTER. AFTER ALL THE FIGURES NEVER LIE BUT LIERS ALWAYS FIGURE. GOOD DAY

The UK men's basketball season officially starts today... THE WAIT IS OVER.

No more, last year they lost 10 games...
No more, there was no chemistry...
No more...
No more...

Before the season starts, and after you've seen them play a couple of exhibition games. I'm curious where you think the Cats will end up this season. Give me a prediction of their W-L, where they'll finish in the SEC tournament, and where they'll finish in the NCAA tournament.

As far as Miami of OH goes, how do you think they'll do tonight?

Their tallest starter is 6-9, but they have some bruisers that are 200+ lbs.

The starting lineup is looking to be:
Morris
Stevenson
Perry
Crawford
Bradley

By the way, I know it's getting way overblown by the media, but do you think what Bobby Knight did was wrong?

UK has officially turned themselves around; they are in a bowl for the first time since 1999. Even better, is that the team is starting to come together even more late in the season. Rafael Little is back, Keenan Burton had his best game ever, Alfonso Smith, Tony Dixon, and Dicky Lyons Jr remain solid in their positions... And of course, there's Andre Woodson. The player that was involved in a quarterback "controversy" in the beginning of the season. What happened to Curtis Pulley in all of this?

Anyway, what bowl do you think UK will end up in?

What have you been most pleased with this season?

Do you think UK can win out?

By the way, how about the NFL? What a crazy weekend.

Tomorrow, Louisville will play Rutgers in one of the biggest games ever for both teams. Rutgers has typically never been this high in the rankings and Louisville has the chance to play for the BCS championship.

Do you think Louisville should play for the championship if they win out?

If you don't think they should, who should take their place?

What would fix the BCS rankings? (I know it's the big question every year)

Pre-season's over...

Whatever happened before doesn't mean anything now. The only thing the Cats can do is focus on Miami of Ohio coming up next Wednesday.

Here's what I took from last night's game:

Stevenson is going to be a force to be reckoned with. The Big Blue Network said he had 8 blocks, the official box score said 5. Anyway you cut it, he's a defensive presence early. He is going to play and play soon. I could potentially see him breaking the starting lineup (depending on how Sheray Thomas plays when he comes back).

Meeks is another guy who will play soon. He's proven himself as a scorer (which is something UK needs after the loss of Rondo). He's also shown that he's one of the quickest guys on the floor at all times.

Morris... What can you say about him? He's one of the keys to the season. He HAS to stay out of foul trouble and he has to be in the game.

I'm still waiting for Crawford to break out.

Perry did some really good things and some bad things last night. He did a great job guarding someone a lot quicker than he was, but he shouldn't be trying to shoot when he beats someone off the dribble. He's typicially someone who works better when he gets an open look.

Bradley is unquestionably the leader of the team. I know that Perry is the "senior leader" but this team is going to live and breathe on the shoulders of Ramel Bradley. He still had a solid game (despite the turnovers). This team will go as far as he can carry them.

Woo and Carter will lose playing time due to Stevenson and the return of Sheray Thomas. Look for them to go in to pick up fouls (along with Coury) and to give Morris a rest.

Porter and Jasper will be solid contributors to the Cats this year, but not to the level of Meeks and Stevenson.

I think this will be a better team than most people think...

Did you ever think this would happen? Only one day ago UK took a huge step to becoming bowl elgible. In fact, they could even get to 7-5 this year with a win over Vandy and Louisiana-Monroe. What would happen if the Cats went 8-4 with a huge last game win over Tennessee? Would Kentucky fans tear down the school?

There are a few scenarios that I can take from this season...

1. Rich Brooks comes back to continue the rebuilding of Kentucky's football program. He has built the foundation, it's time for him to build the rest of the house.

2. Rich Brooks hands over the reigns to another coach and retires.

3. Rich Brooks hands over the reigns to another coach and becomes the AD of Oregon (brought up in our UK Football Pregame show).

Whichever way you slice it, Rich Brooks is not going anywhere for a while nor do I blame UK for keeping him.

The question I have to ask though, is does this take any of the spotlight away from the basketball team? In Kentucky, basketball is king. However, with the way Louisville and Kentucky are playing, will the focus remain on football for longer than usual?

The goalposts came down...
The fans cheered...
One of the biggest wins EVER at UK...

That's right, I'll say it. This had to be one of the biggest wins ever at UK. The Kentucky Football team finally beat someone that they weren't supposed to beat. I know I said it earlier in the week, but this was THE MOST IMPORTANT game of the season for UK. The game that really counts now will be Louisiana-Monroe (unless UK beats Vandy next week at home).

(I also called that this was a winnable game by the way)

What does this mean for the UK Football Team and it's coaching staff?

Do you think the goalposts should have come down?

I'll have more on this tomorrow...

Hey everyone,

So for those of you that were lucky enough to go to the UK game last night, I was suprised at the lack of people in the seats. But, that's not the real story. Yes, I understand it's Lindsey Wilson, but those freshmen looked pretty good. He played 3 of them (Meeks, Jasper, and Stevenson) for over 20 minutes and played Porter for 17. Meeks even had 28 minutes! It wasn't Meeks point scoring ability that impressed me the most (although he did go 3-4 from 3 point land), but it was Stevenson's defense.

Everyone went in talking about Meeks and Jasper and overlooked the tall and lanky Stevenson. We know Meeks is good. We know that he'll play a lot right away. Stevenson is someone that has that ability as well; he looked like he could jump twice before anyone else could jump once.

Tubby definitely used this game to get a good look at his freshmen, and if he's like me, he liked what he saw. Lindsey Wilson may not be an SEC team, but they're still ranked 8th in the NAIA.

So what are we looking at now:

Morris: 4/5
??????: 4/5 (Maybe Stevenson or Thomas when he gets back)
Perry: 3
Crawford: 2
Bradley: 1

Meeks: 1st sub

For his starting role, Woo only played 10 minutes. The only player that got less minutes than him was Mark Coury.

What did you guys think of this game?

Rob-I will do my best to post more blogs. I had hoped that more people would join in, but if you guys have something you want to talk about, post it in a comment and I'll move it to the main topic.

Okay, so UK beat Mississippi St. 34-31. We're all happy that they got out of that one. The story of the game was Smith emerging as an option as running back. Andre Woodson turned in another solid performance, as did Dicky Lyons Jr. and Keenan Burton. The defense held the Bulldogs to ONLY 24 yards rushing! Unfortunately, they did let them throw the ball all over the field.

Here's the debate though:

With 4 games left (3 against SEC opponents), what games are winnable to you? There is one gimme game in Louisiana-Monroe, a game that would be a HUGE upset in Tennessee, and then the middle of the road games against Georgia and Vandy. I think Vandy is better than we all give them credit for, which in my mind only leaves Georgia. Georgia is the game standing between UK and their bowl game. Which again would make this week the biggest week in Rich Brooks' career. What do you think about all this? Which game does UK HAVE to win?

Hey everyone,

Chris Cross is on vacation this week so Mike and I were wondering what sorts of things you all would like us to talk about this week on the Sports Huddle.

What sorts of things have you all been dying to talk about but couldn't because Chris Cross would tell you to "get off his phone"

There will be lots of special guests this week to look forward to... And, you might even get to hear me on the show too.

Come hang out with us while we do the show this week:
Monday - The Grapevine (Tates Creek Center)
Tuesday - Downtown Studio
Wednesday - Jack Kain Ford (Versailles Rd.)
Thursday - The Ketch
Friday - Downtown Studio

Just when you thought things were looking up, a team like LSU comes and brings us back down to reality. I'm not surprised that UK lost this game; I'm just surprised the way it happened... 49-0

For those of you that want it spelled out (I know I don't), that means that UK let LSU score 7 touchdowns and they couldn't even score one themselves.

What happened to the improved offense this year?

The fact that UK couldn't even score a field goal let alone a touchdown is what disappoints me the most. The high flying offense only put up around a whopping 220 yards; 84 of which were taken back by penalties. So let's look at this for what it is. UK got beat by the better team. We knew it was going to happen, but no one thought it would happen like this.

What needs to be done in order for UK to be successful?

Is the defense not letting Kentucky get into the game, or is the offense that needs to come up with more drives to help the defense? Do you think that it's both sides fault?

What has to happen?

The Life of ESPN Sports Radio 1300's Operations Manager

Hey everyone,

I bet you're wondering where I've been lately and wondering why the blog has suffered. I know I apologize, but there's a lot to talk about now so I suppose I'll make up for it. I'll try and run you through the week as best as possible.

Monday

Went to Keeneland for the morning broadcast of "Live From the Backstretch" with Mike Penna and Pete Kules. This show is always fun because you get to run into a lot of people in the horse industry and you get to see the horses working out in the morning. I almost got a bunch of jockeys mad at me with my rolling equipment bag with all the remote stuff in it because the noise was getting the horses excited. Once I realized what I was doing, I picked the bag up instead of rolling it. Finished broadcast at 10am and rushed back to WLXG.

I then got ready for Brooks' Monday press conference. Here's the thing about this one that got me. It seemed as if the media focused more on the offense than the defense. Honestly, I think the defense has been what's hurt them the whole year. It seems to me that there are always a handful of guys that come to play on defense every game, but in order for them to win, they need to get everyone on the same boat. Sometimes, defense cannot be taught, coached, etc. Sometimes, defense comes down to pride and who has it. You need to take pride in what you do to wrap up and make the tackle, pride in what you do to take on the double team so that someone can make a tackle, and pride in what you do to cover the wide reciever that may be faster than you. It seemed to me that everyone was very concerned with the fact that Little is out for a month, etc. etc. I think the issue with the running game comes down to the simple fact that UK hasn't had a set offensive line all year. Although the injury bug hasn't been as bad as it was last year, it's affected key positions that don't always get all the press. The offensive line, in my honest opinion, is the most important part of the offense. Without a solid offensive line, there is no passing or running game. The biggest surprise to me on defense is the fact that they haven't been able to stop the run as good as we thought they would. Here's a front 7 that we thought was going to eat up the run in the preseason. However, the injury bug has plagued them in those key areas and now they're looking for more D Tackles and have had to move some offensive tackles to defense. By the way, if you're still in school and can play DT, talk to Coach.

Tuesday

Live from the Backstretch in the morning and Sports Huddle at night.

Wednesday

Live from the Backstretch in the morning, back to WLXG to book guests for the Sports Huddle and to make promos, and back to Keeneland for the feature race at night.

Thursday

Live from the Backstretch in the morning, booking and promos, Keeneland for the feature race at night.

On a side note. I love Keeneland. The changes that they made to the track in the off-season have been spectacular. The new tote boards are amazing. I think the coolest thing about going to Keeneland is where we do the broadcast from. There's a balcony in between Kurt Becker's announcer booth and Mike Bettaglia's office. I have to say that it has the best view of the track in the whole place. Also, after sitting in the booth while Kurt Becker does his call, I have to say that I am amazed at what he can do. For those of you that missed him being a guest on the Sports Huddle, this guy has 20 minutes before each race to memorize every horse so that he can do his call. It's amazing to watch him at work.

Friday

Live from the backstretch in the morning. I noticed that both Bob Baffert and Nick Zito made their appearances at Keeneland today. Back to WLXG for the Sports Huddle which turned into the decision to cover the baseball championship series. So, Mike Cameron and I decided to get some lunch. Then back to Keeneland for the feature race. I have to tell you there are some tense moments when you're trying to fit a race into 15 minutes and there's a horse that has an equipment delay the race before. We did get the race call in though.

Allright, here's the one you've all been waiting for. I fought through the Keeneland traffic after the races to get down to Rupp Arena for Big Blue Madness. Just so you all know, Tubby was sporting his new glasses in the press conference before. I was excited to see the freshmen though. I think they're going to have to get more playing time than we think. Here's how I see the breakdown going right now.

Morris: Needs 30 minutes (which means he has to stay out of foul trouble)

Bradley: 30-35 minutes

Crawford: 30-35 minutes

Perry: 30-35 minutes

Thomas/Carter/Woo: All sharing 30-35 minutes

The freshmen will probably pick up the slack. Look for Stevenson, Meeks, and Jasper to fill in the gaps in the minutes. A lot of this team is going to depend on whether or not Morris stays out of foul trouble. Thomas, Carter, and Woo may have to take fouls for Morris so that he can stay in the game. The simple fact of having Morris on the court means that teams have to watch for him in the post. If he's not in, teams can double team the outside players that need some good looks at the 3.

Saturday

Lexus Equine Forum in the morning from the Sales Pavillion at Keeneland. The coolest thing about this morning was seeing Kenny Mayne from ESPN out there.

This afternoon I will be returning to Keeneland for the broadcast of the stakes races (most notably the Queen Elizabeth II and the First Lady).

Tonight: Kentucky v. LSU. Hopefully there won't be anyone dressed up like a cow this year. If UK's defense can help out it's offense, look for Kentucky to have a shot in this one. I think they HAVE to win one of these games that people don't think they're going to. LSU is coming off of a loss last week, this may be the week for the Cats. I'm looking forward to seeing how Kentucky responds after losing one of those toss up games. We all know the games that they were supposed to win and lose, but last week was one of those "it could go either way" weeks. How they respond tonight could dictate the tone for the rest of the season.

For all of you betting out at Keeneland:

The new polytrack has taken the bias away from the speed horses. Look for horses that run well on turf and closers to run well on this surface. To be honest, it has been hard to handicap these races. A lot of 10-1, 14-1 horses have been getting in the money and messing up all my exotic bets. The good news for Keeneland though is that there have been full fields in these races. The Darley Alcibides had 14 horses in it! A lot of trainers/owners used last weekend as a prep for the Breeders Cup (Nov 4th at Churchill Downs). However, there are still quality horses going for the rest of the meet.

I'll check in again soon.

Where has everyone been lately? Are you all still alive out there?

SOUND OFF

Here's your chance to vent after the South Carolina game...

What did you think?

Meet South Carolina

Alright folks, here's the skinny on the Spurrier lead South Carolina Gamecocks

What's in a name anyway? It seems like South Carolina banks more on the "Spurrier" factor than anything else. "It's going to be tough to beat _____, they've got Spurrier" is what people tend say when they play Spurrier led teams. Here's the thing though: Spurrier DOES NOT play the game; he only coaches it. You could sit here and tell me all day that Spurrier is 152-47-2 lifetime and I'd say that's a great resume, but the players play. So now that we got the Spurrier factor out of the way, here's who to look for on South Carolina.

Offense:

QB - Well it's a toss up between Syvelle Newton (6'0" 210 Sr) and Blake Mitchell (6'3" 212 Jr). Mitchell started the first two games and Newton went 21 for 35 against Auburn and threw 5 TD passes against FAU. Right now, Newton's got the edge. Look for him to take snaps on Saturday for the Gamecocks.

RB - It's a mixture of 3 different people. Look for Mike Davis (5'9" 207 So), Cory Boyd (6'1". 201 Jr), and Taylor Rank (6'0" 206 RS Fr) to take turns with the running duties on Saturday.

WR - Sidney Rice (6-4" 202 So) leads the team with 360 yards recieving in the last 3 games. Besides him, Moe Brown (6'0" 173 FR), Kenny McKinely (5'11" 174) and Chris Hall (5'11" 186 Fr) will be the targets in the air. Kentucky's secondary has a shot to have a really good game on defense with this recieving crew.

The offensive line has been strong for South Carolina so far this season. Led by Eckerson, Coleman, White, Anderson, Meredith, and their tight end Pavlovic, the O-Line is going to be tough to crack. The linebackers HAVE to blitz that O-Line and create some chaos right at the line of scrimmage if UK is going to be strong on defense.

UK Key to the game: stay strong and take away the running game. Although they have a decent passing game, they'll hurt you on the ground.

Offense to come later....

Well, they did it. UK is now 3-2 overall (1-1 SEC). They're halfway to a bowl!

What did you all think of the game on Saturday?

More to come on this later today...

I'll be the first to admit it... I've failed you all this week. I'm sorry. The pressures of moving have stopped me from blogging. Don't worry though, I'm back.

Mike Cameron and I are sitting in the studio right now having a conversation about UK's new 7 foot recruit, Mike Williams. Honestly, this would be a great addition to the Cats if they can get him to come next year. It seems like this next year's recruiting class has the potential to be really great or there's just been a lot of buzz around the recruiting.

Kentucky is favored by 8 over Central Michigan this week... Are you excited for this game?

Who do you take in the Patriots v. Bengals game?

What else is going on that you all want to talk about?

Sorry, I haven't had a lot of time to post over the past couple of days. I'm moving, and we all know what your life is life when you're moving (even if you're moving in the same city).

What did you all think of the Cats/Gators game that happened over the weekend?

There were some good positives that I took from this game:
Andre Woodson looked good (no fumbles, no interceptions, good yardage, etc.)
Pulley played a hell of a game
Williams was a good replacement for McCutchan on the O-Line (there were no botched snaps)

The first half the Cats really showed they can compete with the big teams. I think the calls on the field and the Florida touchdown really demoralized the Cats going into the half. They didn't seem like they were the same team in the 2nd half.

Is this a moral victory for the Cats?

There were still missed assginments on defense, the o-line let Woodson get sacked 6 times, etc.

What do you think this game means for Kentucky?

Are you happy with how the season has been going so far?

What else is going on that you all want to talk about?

What Would You Give Up If Kentucky Defeats Florida?

Listeners:

Judson - will give away free Domino's pizzas

Clay from Claiborne - will shave his head

Rusty - One Giovanni's pizza a week for a year to one lucky fan

Dale - a bunch of Butternut Bread

J-Delicious - will shave his head

Lee - Will DIVORCE HIS WIFE!!!!!

Ole Jim - will cut the churcg's lawn

Paul - will shave off all his facial hair; eyebrows, moustache, goatee (already has head shaved)

Glen - will listen to his wife talk to him about something he doesn't want to hear (he'll also do a bunch of other stuff)

The ESPN Sports Radio 1300 Staff:

Chris Cross - will shave his head

Mike Cameron - will dress up like a cheerleader

John Edwards - will shave his head

Ressie Dukes - will be tazered

Jim Tirey - will shave his legs

Jeremy Tschiderer - will shave his head

We're still looking for more sacrifices. Are any of you willing to give up anything if Kentucky wins?

Meet Florida

What can I say, this team UK is going to meet on Saturday night is going to be a tough one. Florida is 3-0 (1-0 SEC). Their offense is a spread option brought over from Utah from Urban Meyer who is in his second year coaching at Florida. Traditionally, Meyer's teams have been significantly better in their second year of running his offense. This trend has continued with Florida.

Fast facts about Florida in their first 3 games:

Florida has outscored their opponents 97 to 27.

Opponents have averaged 43 yards rushing against them a game.

Opponents have averaged 180 yards passing against them a game.

They average 449 yards of offense a game.

People to look for on offense:

QB - Chris Leak - Leak, a senior, has done a great job behind center for the Gators. He's been so good, that he is actually projected third in the Heisman standings right now. This is his third year at QB for Florida. Look for his experience to help him. He's on the preseason watch for the Manning award and was voted 1st team all-SEC during SEC media days. A plus for the Cats though was the last time he threw 3 interceptions was against Kentucky in 2004.

QB - Tim Tebow - Some of you may remember all the hype around Tebow last year. They actually ran an ESPN special on him while he determined which college he was going to go to. Although a "controversy" almost formed around him and Leak for the starting job, Leak (an all-SEC player) obviously beat him out. Tebow has size 6-3 229 and Florida knows how to use it. Look for Leak to come in during short yardage, 3rd down, and goal line situations.

Baker, Caldwell, Harvin, and Cornelius will be catching the passes down in the swamp. They all have good production thus far this season.

People to look for on defense.

Their defense will be extremely tough.

Watch out for Brandon Siler 6-2 235 Jr. at linebacker

Reggie Nelson 6-1 195 Jr. will be strong for them in the secondary

Ray McDonald 6-3 280 Sr. and Jarvis Moss Florida 6-6 255 Jr. will anchor their front line on defense.

UK has a chance in this game if they can catch Florida off guard. The Gators are probably still mentally and physically drained from their game last week with Tennessee. If UK comes out with their normal first quarter lull, this game will not be pretty. UK has shown that they have the weapons to hang with the big boys, but they need to have a great game right from the beginning.

The game will be at 7:45pm Saturday night on ESPN.

What do you think will happen?

Is this the Bengals year?

Seriously, how good do they look?

Carson Palmer came back from his surgery without missing a beat, Rudi Johnson is one of the top running backs in the league, the additions to the defense have made them one of the strongest Ds in the league, and the absence of T.J. Houshmandzadeh hasn't hurt them one bit.

If things continue the way they are, I don't think that anyone will be able to challenge them in their division. The Steelers looked terrible in their game against Jacksonville, McNair will not challenge them with the Ravens, and the Browns fell easily to the Bengals.

If Palmer can stay healthy, this may be the year for the Who Dey.

Is College Football fair?

That's what I've been asking myself all day after the aftermath of the weekend of "Separation Saturday."

In this day and age in college football every game counts. If you lose just one game, you can kiss your national championship hopes goodbye. In the NFL, teams that have lost 2, 3, 4, or 5 games can still win the Superbowl, but not when it comes to the NCAA. Many people have done enough complaining about the BCS system but let me complain a little bit more...

Texas falls to Ohio State last weekend. The #2 team fell to the #1 team and they drop out of the top five. As far as I'm concerned, nobody from #3 down proved that they can beat you, so why the drop?

Notre Dame, Tennessee, and LSU all dropped in the polls after their losses this past weekend and their National Championship hopes were lost in the process.

Is this unfair to those teams that book big games (that obviously get a lot of press & hype) lose their national championship hopes?

I know that we (the media and the fans) enjoy these games and would miss not having them on the schedule. So how do we compromise? The last thing we want to see is all the teams having cupcake games all season.

It's also unfair to these students who have the pressures of school and football, but yet also have the pressure to be perfect every time they step on the field because their NC hopes depend on it.

The question remains though: how do you fix college football?

The Day After Post

What can I say that hasn't already been said... UK gets their first SEC opening victory since 1987. That's 19 years since they last accomplished the feat against, you guessed it, Ole Miss. Here are the thoughts that I have after the game from yesterday:

Offense:

The offense looked good. Andre Woodson threw for 290 yards and 3 TDs WITH NO TURNOVERS, Rafael Little did some good things both by catching the ball out of the backfield and running the ball, Tony Dixon turned in another solid performance at running back, and HOW ABOUT DICKY LYONS JR?!?!?!? Dicky Lyons Jr. is turning himself into a superstar here at UK. He now has 6 touchdowns in 3 games. That's incredible. He's getting good coverage on him due to the fact that defenses are keying on Keenan Burton and Jacob Tamme. It's a very thankless role what Tamme and Burton are doing but it has been integral to the success of the passing game for UK this year. As teams start to focus their attention on Lyons, look for Burton and Tamme to make some noise. It seems to be Woodson's MO that he takes a little while to warm up. He overthrew some recievers in the 1st and early 2nd quarters but when he calmed down he seemed to get in a zone. His recievers bailed him out when he was off though, they made some great athletic catches.

It was interesting to see the versitility of the UK offense this game. They ran all sorts of sets including a spread option. Being able to change their offensive looks will keep defenses guessing and the spread option can be helpful in slowing down blitzing defenses. This could work in their advantage against a strong defense like Florida.

Defense:

The defense still scares me but the difference in this game is the fact that they came through when it counted. Myron Prior came through with a huge fumble recovery and interception in this one that really helped to thwart any chances Ole Miss had of coming back in this game. Wesley Woodyard also turned in another solid performance at linebacker. It was really good to see people like Trevard Lindley (who broke up some passes) and Marcus McClinton (who forced a fumble after a reverse from Ole Miss threatened to gain 20+ yards). If the secondary continues to improve, UK could make some more waves in the SEC. There were still some missed assignments in this one but the bottom line is when the defense had to make a big play they did. This is the second game in a row that they have stopped a team trying to go for it on fourth down in their territory. That is a HUGE confidence booster for the Cats. It's also good to see that Brooks and Archer can plug in multiple people at linebacker and defensive line and still get the same productivity. It helps keep the defense fresh and it also helps if coaches have to make adjustments during the game. They can take time to talk to a player without worrying about their replacement's productivity.

Special Teams

Sieber looks like he's going to be the one taking the kicks for UK. He looked good hitting his PATs (as every kicker should) and he also looked good kicking a 41 yard field goal. Hopefully he can stay consistent. The return game was also strong for the Cats as it's been all year. Little and Burton have done a great job returning kicks.

General game notes:

These teams were very evenly matched. The offensive production for both teams was nearly the same. The difference in this one was the fact that Ole Miss shot themselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers. That proved to be the difference maker in this one. A good sign for UK was that they were able to capitalize on these Ole Miss mistakes. The only concern that I had was that there were chances for UK to put the game away in the 2nd quarter that they messed up. One was after UK stopped Ole Miss on a fourth down attempt (the following drive was a punt) and UK also had a blocked field goal attempt in the last play before halftime. I'd like to see them do a better job closing out teams in those early opportunities. However, I can't complain too much, they played a good game.

This week it's off to the Swamp.

The weekend is approaching quickly and it's shaping up to be one of the best college football weekends ever.

Saturday's Big Games...
#11 Michigan v. #2 Notre Dame
#6 LSU v. #3 Auburn
#19 Nebraska v. #4 USC
#7 Florida v. #13 Tennessee
#17 Miami (FL) v. #12 Louisville

etc. etc.

This is the weekend that will separate the men from the boys in college football. Dreams of a national championship will be lost this weekend; you can't win a NC with a loss anymore in college football.

Just as the teams at the top will be defining themselves with a win or loss, so will Kentucky in their game against Ole Miss. Two teams both struggling to bring themselves up from the bottom of the SEC will need a win to do anything the rest of this season.

Ole Miss hasn't been the same since Eli Manning left... Kentucky hasn't been the same since Bear Bryant left...

No one needs to ask Rich Brooks how big this game is; he knows how big it is. Everyone knows how big this game is. Every game is big for Kentucky this season. If it isn't this game, it's next game, or the next one. Every word, every movement, every play, every substitution, every win, and every loss will be talked about and analyzed by every media outlet and every UK fan.

The way I see it, there's 3 groups of teams in the SEC:
You have the teams at the top - LSU, Auburn, Florida, Georgia
The teams in the middle - Tennessee, S. Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas
and the teams on the bottom - Miss State, Ole Miss, Vandy, and Kentucky

Keep in mind that this rotates all the time but this is how I see things this year. Here's the catch though. A win against Ole Miss would be crucial for the Cats to step up into the middle of the pack in the SEC. I'm not saying that they would be able to jump right to the top, but they'd be a lot closer than they were before.

That's what the Cats need to strive for this year. I'd like to see them do well but I understand it's a process. They NEED to strive to be in the middle of the pack before they get to the top of the pack. What do I consider to be the middle of the pack? Well, there are some qualifications that I think teams need to have to be there...
1. Team ____ needs to make it to a bowl game
2. If ______ does not make it to a bowl game they need an upset victory that kills the bowl chances/national championship for another team
3. Teams must play one tough out of conference game against a big team

Are there any other qualifications that you think need to be present for a team to be in the middle of the pack? Obviously the lead pack contends for BCS games and/or National Championship game, has heisman candidates, etc. How long do you think it will be before Kentucky reaches this middle of the pack status?

Of course, we're still looking for University of Kentucky bumper sticker slogans if you have them...

I am the best fantasy football player that has ever lived. I'm confident enough to say it. Of course I'd be confident enough to say it after winning every game in each of my five leagues on opening weekend. The fantasy football gods surely had to be on my side on this one.

All of this has got me thinking though... I read an article that ESPN's Bill Simmons wrote on fantasy football and about rules concerning playing in a co-ed league.

Do you think there are rules in general to fantasy football?

(edit)
Here are the top five rules that I believe that should govern fantasy football...

1. Anything that the computer or another player does not catch is fair game.
This involves all actions concerning putting players in past deadlines, picking up players from waivers, picking up free agents, etc... If the computer lets you pick up a player or change a player past deadline then so be it.

2. Any smack talk that comes out of your mouth can and will be used against you.
That's right... That guy who always opens his mouth after week one (see the above post) will ALWAYS end up eating crow by week 6. Unless his or her team is incredibly stacked, shut your mouth until around the playoffs.

3. In conjunction with #2... if you can't take it don't dish it out
If you can't handle the smack talk then you better not talk smack to other people. Just sit there, shut up, and change your players each week...

4. Don't be "that guy"
This rule extends to life as much as it does to fantasy football... In fact, this rule encompasses every other rule that was ever concieved in any other venue anywhere... You know... Don't be that guy who picks Reggie Bush in the first round. Don't be that guy who shows up to the draft unprepared. Don't be that guy who picks the guy who's on IR for the whole season. Don't be that guy who passes out at 9pm while Sunday night football is on.

In fact I think "don't be that guy" is the best advice I've ever recieved in life... Thanks Dad.

5. If you lose pay up
No one will ever want to invite you back to the league if you're this person. If you don't win, take your lumps and move on. There's always next year (or one of the other leagues you're in this year).

The Day After Post...

Every once in a while we fall victim to that attractive member of the opposite sex that looks great the night that you hook up with them, but then you wake up the next morning and you have mixed feelings. Thats the way I feel about this game against Texas State.

Yeah there were a lot of good things that I can take from this game, but there are some bad things too. I liked the way that the offense looked in this game. It was good to see them put together scoring drives and use the running game to do so. The usual suspects showed up to bring the Cats to victory in this one: Keenan Burton, Dicky Lyons Jr. The punting game looked great and that's always a plus considering that it's crucial to field position. It was great to see Rafael Little back to his old self; he put up over 200 all purpose yards. Andre Woodson looked confident behind center, and besides his one interception, played good, intelligent football. I also really liked the fact that Kentucky had a goal line stand on defense. It's one of those things that could really be a confidence booster for the Cats. Finally, it was great to see many players get involved. Brooks said himself that he knows he can substitute players now and still be competitive.

Here are the problems though... UK played Texas State. It's not like they played this well against an SEC opponent. I'm not trying to take anything away from Texas State, but they are a D1 AA school (I know they went to the championships but still...) There were some defensive breakdowns that an SEC team would have capitalized on. One play in particular was the fake field goal in the end of the 2nd quarter. The Texas State recievers had the UK defense beat, an SEC school more than likely would have capitalized. I think the running game is still iffy due to the fact that the offensive line keeps changing. I'd like to see the Cats stick with a line that consistantly plays with each other. The kicking game needs a lot of work. Only on a freak play should a PAT ever be missed. It'll be interesting to see how that competition goes. I guess Taylor Begley left some huge shoes to fill.

Honestly, the big test will come against Ole Miss this week. Yup, I said it, Ole Miss is going to be a HUGE test for this Kentucky team. A win against Ole Miss would definitely prove that Kentucky has moved up in the SEC instead of being thrown on the bottom with Vanderbilt and it's a game that Kentucky has a good chance of winning. I want to believe that everything from the Texas State game is true, but I need to see it against an SEC team.

The game against Texas State was almost a double edged sword for Kentucky. If they lost, they would have lost to a D1AA school... If they won, well of couse they should have won it's a D1AA school. But I think the win did more for the Cats confidence than anything. If they can take some momentum from this game, then it was worth it. I'll be watching to see if they can take that momentum into Saturday with Ole Miss.

Stay tuned this week for a breakdown of Ole Miss and for all our other shenanagians.

UK 41 TEXAS STATE 7

The rain that delayed the game 45 minutes didn't seem to wash out the hopes of Kentucky Football fans everywhere as the Cats rolled over Texas State today by the score of 41-7 while a crowd of 57,000 watched.

Although the game started out slow, the tides were turned when Wesley Woodyard forced a fumble on a fourth down goal-line attempt by Texas State with 8 minutes to go in the 1st quarter. Unfortunately, the Cats could not capitalize due to an Andre Woodson interception. Two plays later, Marcus McClinton and Kentucky struck back by picking off a pass of their own. On the drive following the interception, the Cats took full advantage and put the first points on the board when Andre Woodson connected with Dicky Lyons Jr. for a 10 yard touchdown pass with 1 minute left in the 1st quarter.

The second quarter belonged to the Cats as they scored 3 more touchdowns; an 8 yard Tony Dixon run, a 35 yard pass to Dicky Lyons Jr. and a 17 yard pass to John Conner.

Andre Woodson ended up 13 for 20 with 195 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.

Rafael Little gained 96 yards on 12 carries with 1 td. He also pitched in with 148 return yards.

The third quarter saw another Kentucky touchdown and was the beginning of the rotation into 2nd and 3rd teams.

Texas State finally got on the scoreboard in the 4th quarter but it was too late.

GAME NOTES

Micah Johnson looked good at linebacker for Kentucky.

I really enjoyed the UPS game ball delivery. They made some UPS dude put the game ball in a box and deliver it to the refs to start the game. He even made them sign the keypad. It was priceless. They should make Chris and Mike get their microphones delivered each show and sign for them.

The Wildcat Marching Band has moved from the endzone to the student section on the sideline (but still in the stands). It's great because it's right behind the opposing team's bench.

J.J. Housley was relieved of his place kicking duties after he missed a PAT and a 31 yard field goal. Brian Scott took over in the second quarter. Brooks mentioned that this competition is open again.

Curtis Pulley led the Cats to a score on 13 plays when he entered the game in the 3rd quarter. He looked better running than passing although he had a 14 yard pass to Keenan Burton.

In his post game press conference, Coach Brooks was in a good mood but spoke of problems with the kicking game, some penalties on kick returns, and some negative running plays that he hopes to fix before Ole Miss. He felt that Woodson handled the offense well, Tim Masty did a good job punting

Brooks said "It was a game we had to win, we should have won, but we won it the right way."

Stay tuned to ESPN Sports Radio 1300 for more Kentucky Football coverage...

What did you all think of the game?

I'll have a more editorial type post tomorrow.

What makes for the best tailgates?

Chris, Mike, and I will be roaming around K-Lot tomorrow in search of the greatest tailgaters in Kentucky...

Do you want to invite us to your tailgate?

Stay tuned to the blog for some tales of our explorations.

MEET TEXAS STATE

I hope you are all ready to meet the Texas State Fighting Armadillos... Oops I mean the Texas State Bobcats (congrats for all of you that got the 'Necessary Roughness' reference). You all know Kentucky by now, so I won't bore you by going through their lineup again. Also, to be honest, with all the changes Coach Brooks told us he's going to make at the press conference, there are some spots that I will be unsure of until the game on Saturday.

Offense

QB - #14 Chase Wasson 5-11 180 Jr - he made his 5th career start last week

RB - #8 Daniel Jolly 6-1 237 Sr (Scored 2 TDs and ran for 37 yards on 13 carries last week)

FB - #18 Blake Burton 6-0 237 Sr

WR - #4 Ronnie Miller 6-0 180 Sr

WR - # 5 Tyrone Scott 6-0 185 Jr

Slot - #21 Morris Crosby 5-9 184 So

LT - #79 Matt Pardon 6-5 277 Sr

LG - #72 Crawford May 6-1 292 Jr (Transfer)

C - #59 Ryne Miller 6-3 309 Sr

RG - #56 Adrian Dayse 6-4 300 Jr (Transfer)

RT - #53 Calvin Gore 6-5 296 Fr (Red Shirt)

TE - #88 Galen Dunk 6-5 222 Fr (Red Shirt)

Defense

DE - #50 Nick Clark 6-0 253 Jr (51 Tackles in 2005)

DT - #77 Clifford Gardner 6-1 314 Fr (Red Shirt)

NG - #60 Ramel Borner 6-0 304 Jr

DE -#46 Nate Langford 6-1 248 Jr

SLB - #37 Jeremy Castillo 5-11 220 Sr (246 career tackles, 10 last week)

MLB - #12 Shola Obafemi 6-1 208 Sr (1st start last week)

CB - #24 Jamarqus O'Neal 6-1 192 Sr (4 tackles and ff last week)

SS - #41 Jameil Turner 6-0 202 So

FS - #13 Daniel Varvel 6-3 216 Sr (50 tackles last year, transfer from Arizona St.)

KAT - #48 Epsilon Williams 5-10 209 Sr.

CB - # 15 Walter Musgrove 5-9 190 Sr (1st team All-Southland Conference)

Special Teams

P - #34 Chris MacDonald 6-4 215 Jr (Transfer, avg 44 yds per punt last week)

PK - #93 Kyle Bronson (Transfer, was 11 of 16 for FG last year at South Florida)

PR and KR - #21 Morris Crosby 5-9 184 So

Okay... So here's the deal. It would be a waste of time for me to rank these compared to each other because on paper, Kentucky is far better than Texas State. I mean faaaaaaaaaarrrrrr better. It would be a waste of mine and your time. But, as was seen last week by Montana St. beating Colorado, anything can happen.

Let's go over what I do know. Defensively, Texas state runs a 4-2-5. For those of you that don't know, that's four down linemen, two linebackers, and five defensive backs. Obviously, this means they're stacked for the pass. They play to defend the pass. For Kentucky, that's the one thing that was working for them against Louisville. On paper, Texas State shouldn't be able to take away the air from UK, but you never know. If it was before last week, I would have said that it wouldn't have mattered because Kentucky is just going to beat them both ways... The running game HAS to show up in order for Kentucky to keep them honest. Otherwise, they'll just put everyone back in pass defenses.

On offense, Texas State runs a spread option from the gun. Kinda reminds me of Florida, but I'm sure Urban Meyer runs it better. I'm concerned about runs to the outside if the cornerbacks can't step up to defend the run. The defensive ends are EXTREMELY important in this game. They MUST contain in order for the UK defense to be able to stop the Bobcats. What that means, is that they're responsible for anything that is outside the tackles. When preparing for the option, the DEs understand that they have to make contact with the quarterback when he moves outside. By hitting the quarterback, #1 you're hitting the quarterback which is always good, and #2 you're making the QB make a decision. The QB must then decide to hold onto the ball or pitch it to his back. If he pitches it to his back, the DE is hoping that a linebacker will be there to make the tackle. The defensive line's job is to bascially create havok on the line. Offensive linemen on Texas State will be pulling and trying to kick out or log off so that the backs can run outside. The DTs must knock those linemen on their butt so that they can't make their blocks. If those things happen, Texas State's offense will be unsuccessful.

(Sorry I love preparing for option teams. As a former defensive lineman, it was one of my favorite weeks whenever I knew I just had to create a mess for the OL.)

So that's Texas State and some keys to the game. Keep coming to the blog this week for more keys to the game against the Texas State Bobcats. Feel free to let everyone know what you think about this game coming up.

This One Takes The Cake! Nicknames

This one's NOT for the Kids...

Hope everyone's recovered from that 'thing that happened on Sunday' that didn't resemble a Football Game. Usually, after the first pounding, thoughts turn to Basketball (How many days until 'Midnight Madness'?), or other things.
One of the other things happened to me on Saturday Night.
Away from being the Mid-Day Host on 96.9 KISS FM, our 'Hippie Station' says Chris Cross, being Webmaster for the wlxg.com site and lead guru at the company, I have worked for Host Communications here in Lexington. I do the scoreboard segments on the radio networks of Florida State and Oklahoma State Football and Basketball.
As you can tell, there's probably some down time during our 6 hour Football broadcasts. One of my co-workers asked me to see if there was a team with a certain nickname and where they were.
I fired up Google and did a search, coming across THIS LINK http://www.smargon.net/nicknames/. It has a comprehensive list of team nicknames, including schools that use the name and, occasionally a link to the school's site.
Yup, I found the 'Banana Slugs' (University of Cal-Santa Cruz), Black Flies (College of the Atlantic), The Blue Hose (Presbyterian College). We giggled a bit about the funny names. Then I scrolled down, to my horror and yelled out. "We Have A Winner!"
Did you know that The Rhode Island School of Design has 2 teams? Probably Club teams like the UK Hockey team. RISD plays Basketball and Ice Hockey. They have a nickname for each team as well as cheerleaders and fans.
The Basketball team is called 'The Balls"... The Hockey Team is called "The Nads"!!!

Here's a quote ripped off of a site called collegeprowler.com about RISD... (Here's the link to the page http://www.collegeprowler.com/guide.asp/1427401187/index.html)

And is there any athletics scene at all?“While serious athletics are pretty much out of the question at RISD, students definitely have fun with what they’ve got. Imagine during parents’ weekend, half the campus drunk and yelling obscenities at a team of completely bewildered ice-hockey players while a giant penis in a cape leads cheers from the sidelines. Often, the Jockstraps (cheerleading team) will rouse the RISD crowd into heckling some players so badly that fights ensue. Another rallying move is when Scrotie tries to ram the goalposts tip-first. (Some images really are worth 1,000 words.) Once in a while, there will be a scandal during which Scrotie has been kidnapped by an unnamed group. The ransom demands that all Nads players skate around the rink after the game in their underwear in order to retrieve their precious mascot.”Find out if RISD truly has something for you, straight from the students’ mouths.

Here's a link to the 'Campus Life Section of the School's official website. See 'athletics' section. http://www.risd.edu/orientation_campus_life.cfm

IS THIS school COOL with itself or what!

Upon further examination of the RISD site on Google, I found that they have a daily web newspaper, called the Daily Jolt... They even have fun on that site too! If you don't believe me, take a look at these picture pages. (NOT FOR THE KIDDIES!!!) http://risd.dailyjolt.com/pictures/album.html?album_id=354 The preceeding section is of a game that RISD had against Clark U. You'll see several pictures of thier mascot, along with comments from either students or people like me that happened on the site.

I'll also post some links that I think are cute, related to the Nads below... Go! Nads!
http://www.deadspin.com/sports/top/your-alltime-best-mascot-winner-176616.php Deadspin's take on it.
http://www.maximonline.com/articles/index.aspx?a_id=7254 Maxim's story about the 10 Worst Coaches, along with commentary, near the bottom of the page, about the worst mascots.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island_School_of_Design Wikipedia link anyone?

Have fun with it... Remember, this is NOT FOR THE KIDDIES!!!!

Skip

Everything we were afraid of and more happened last night.

Kentucky was not ready to play last night. It was more than evident from their performance. Andre Woodson had no completions in his first nine attempts. Eventually, he went 9 for 23. What happened last night? Let's try to break it down from the beginning.

No matter how hard a team tries to prepare for Michael Bush and Brian Brohm, it's near impossible to account for both. The defense almost looked confused out there. What do we try and stop, the pass or the run? Michael Bush ended up solving that question when he busted out his first touchdown with 13 minutes left in the 1st quarter.

The offense didn't help the defense; they didn't have a drive that lasted more than 5 plays for a good part of the 1st and 2nd quarter. The defense was gassing from the beginning because they were on the field the whole game. They had no break. It was Touchdown Louisville then a kickoff and 3 plays later they were back on the field. In the beginning of the game the offense didn't help the defense one bit and that's what ultimately lost them the game. I don't push blame off the defense. Yes, the defense let the touchdowns happen, but they had no help from their offense. No time to recover. No time to adjust.

There were times that the defense looked lost out there. Defensive ends were covering wide recievers, assignments were missed, tackles were being broken through, poor throws by Brohm were passing through two Kentucky defenders before it was an incomplete pass, and Louisville was taking advantage of every opportunity.

The offense didn't even get into the game until the 2nd quarter. A 73 yard bomb to Keenan Burton was when Kentucky finally looked like they were going to start playing. Then on a drive with less than a minute to play in the 2nd quarter, a pass interference call, a botched play turned good, and a pass to Dicky Lyons Jr. later and Kentucky scored again.

Let's recap here.

Score at halftime: 31-14 Louisville

IF and that's a big if... If the Cats could have come out and scored on their opening posession of the second half, it could have been different. But, that's why it's an if. Louisville went on to dominate the second half as well and finally took down UK 58-29.

What do I know from this? The offense needs A LOT of work. The two bright spots for Kentucky were Keenan Burton 127 recieving yards and 1 rec TD (he also added 185 return yards and another TD) and Dicky Lyons Jr. 84 recieving yards and 2 rec TDs.

Where was Rafael Little when all of this was happening? HE ONLY HAD 7 CARRIES FOR 21 YARDS?!?!?! Tony Dixon only had 2 carries for 5 yards. Where was the running game? I understand that Kentucky couldn't run once they were down, but it was never there to begin with.

There are more things that need to be addressed on both sides of the ball.

The honeymoon is over.

All You Need to Know about the Cats and Cards

The battle for the Governors' Cup is rapidly approaching. Who would have guessed that the dog days of summer are over. It's time to get down to football. Let's look at who the Cats are facing this week. I will try to do this every week for each game. Most times I'll have this done earlier in the week. Let me know if this is something you want me to continue doing...

Offensive Line:

The University of Louisville's offensive line stacks up like this:
LT George Bussey 6-4 298 So.
LG Danny Barlowe 6-4 287 So.
C Eric Wood 6-4 297 So.
RG Kurt Quarterman 6-5 328 Sr.
RT Renardo Foster 6-6 325 Sr.

The University of Kentucky's offensive line is looking like this:
LT James Alexander 6-5 281 So.
LG Christian Johnson 6-4 325 So.
C Matt McCutchan 6-3 310 Sr.
RG Michael Aitcheson 6-3 300 Sr.
RT Hayden Lane 6-6 275 Sr.

I would give this advantage to Kentucky. The line is bigger, older, and has a proven leader in Matt McCutchan. However, Louisville's right side is stacked with Quarterman and Foster.

Tight End:

Louisville
Gary Barridge 6-6 294 Jr.

Kentucky
Jacob Tamme 6-5 240 Jr.

I would give this advantage to Kentucky. Tamme is one of Kentucky's all SEC players however he is coming off of two shoulder surgeries in the offseason. If Kentucky is going to have any shot in this one Tamme has to have a big game.

Wide Recievers

Louisville
Mario Urrutia 6-6 228 So.
Harry Douglas 5-11 170 Jr.
Patrick Carter 6-3 200 Jr.

Kentucky
Keenan Burton 6-2 195 Jr.
Dicky Lyons Jr. 5-11 190 So.

This advantage goes to Louisville. Burton is a great WR but has been plagued with injury and the rest of the WR crew is young.

Running Backs

Louisville
Michael Bush 6-3 250 Sr.

Kentucky
Rafael Little 5-10 188 Jr.

This one has to go to Bush and Louisville. I expect to see Little do great things in the game, but he's going against a Heisman candidate. The sheer size and speed of Bush alone set Bush apart from any other running back in college football.

Fullbacks

Louisville
Brock Bolen 6-0 237 So.

Kentucky
John Conner 5-11 233 RS Fr.

Again, this one has to go to Louisville. Bolen is used to blocking for Bush and Kentucky is terribly inexperienced at this position.

Quarterback

Louisville
Brian Brohm 6-4 226 Jr.

Kentucky
Andre Woodson 6-5 232 Jr.

I shouldn't have to get into this one but I will... Advantage U of L. Brohm is a proven quarterback and Woodson is an experienced quarterback but one that has been plagued with fumblitis. Woodson could have won the game last year for the Cats. If he can hold onto the ball, he could have the possibility make up for last year. Until that happens, I'm going with the Heisman candidate.

Defensive Line

Louisville

DE Zach Anderson 6-4 262 Sr.
DT Amobi Okoye 6-1 305 Sr.
DT Earl Heyman 6-3 285 So.
DE Brandon Cox 6-4 250 Jr.

Kentucky

DE Durrell White 6-3 260 Sr.
DT Lamar Mills 6-1 285 Sr.
DT Myron Prior 6-1 307 So.
DE Dominic Lewis 6-3 258 Jr.

The experience level of this position is equal for both teams, but I'm going to have to go with Kentucky for White and Prior. I believe that those two are going to be forces on the D-Line for the Cats this year.

Linebackers

Louisville
SLB Malik Jackson 6-2 231 Jr.
MLB Nate Harris 6-1 235 Sr.
WLB Abe Brown 6-4 230 Sr.

Kentucky
SLB Johnny Williams 6-3 235 So.
MLB Braxton Kelley 6-0 226 So.
WLB Wesley Woodyard 6-1 212 Jr.

I would give this one a push. I like both the teams linebackers. Louisville's are a little bit more experienced, but with Kelley and Woodyard having played against SEC teams, I think they can hold their own. Look for Micah Johnson to get some playing time as well if he can get the mental part down.

Secondary

Louisville
CB Rod Council 5-11 189 So.
SS Jon Russell 6-2 194 So.
FS Brandon Sharp 5-11 195 Sr.
CB William Gay 5-11 184 Sr.

Kentucky
CB Karl Booker 6-1 190 Sr.
SS Roger Williams 6-0 200 Jr.
FS Marcus McClinton 6-1 210 So.
CB Trevard Lindley 5-11 195 RS Fr.

Because of the cornerbacks, this one goes to Louisville.

At 5-3-1 I would give the advantage to Louisville for this game. What it all could end up coming down to would be the special teams.

I would give the returning advantage to Kentucky. Little (PR) and Burton (KR) will steal the show over Carter (PR) and Council (KR). With the kicking tee being shorter, look for some great returns in this one.

The kicking advantage would go to Louisville. Carmody a Jr. has much more experience than the Housley the So. (who is trying to replace Begley).

I look for this game to be a lot closer than the spread suggests (barring a breakout game from both Bush and Brohm).

It feels good to be talking about football again.

Let me know if you thought this was helpful.

By the way, keep your man laws coming. We're almost to 10! Don't miss out on your chance to be a part of the sports huddle man laws!

UPDATE ON MAN LAWS

You all have been great with helping us come up with the Sports Huddle Man Laws. Just so you all have a refresher as to what we've done so far here they are:

1. No one can interrupt a man during the 2nd half of a UK Basketball game. (Will)
2. No one may schedule any important event thatconflicts with a UK Football or Basketball rivalry game. (Patrick)
3. All radio stations must be tuned to ESPN Sports Radio 1300 from the hours of 4pm to 7pm NO EXCEPTIONS. (Clay)
4. The beverage notifcation law. (Phillip)
5. While watching a movie with men at a theater, men must separate themsevles by a buffer seat. (Steve)
6. A significant other must never ask a man questions about the sport during pivotal points in the game. (Glen)

Remember... These laws will be rewritten after we get four more. They will be permanently set in "stone" on www.wlxg.com and maybe in another way as well. Don't miss out on your chance for Sports Huddle Man Law history!

By the way... For all of you who really want a breakdown between Kentucky and Louisville, I'll be posting a position by position breakdown later on today.

Keep your comments coming on the Blog!

Hey everyone,

I hope you've liked the changes that have been taking place on WLXG.com. Are there any other improvements that you'd like us put into practice on the web?

I'd like to focus more on the QB "controversy" today.

Here's the problem. I mentioned it in a comment before, but if Woodson plays to keep his job, there's no way the Cats are going to be winning a lot of games. When you play to keep your job and not to win, that's when mistakes happen. He's going to be more worried about holding onto the ball rather than winning. I truly believe that things like holding onto the ball, making good solid tackles, and those other intangibles cannot be taught.

Don't get me wrong... You can teach technique. But there's no way that you can teach someone how to hold onto the ball. They have to want to hold onto the ball. They have to have enough mental toughness to hold onto the ball. They have to want to tackle a person. They have to want to jump straight up in the air to catch a pass. Some players have these intangibles, some don't. These intangibles can be aquired if a player has an ephiphany (which I hope happened to Woodson after last year). Players can start out slow and can eventually become studs.

But, you have to WANT to excel. You have to will yourself to do all those extra things that make the difference in games. Those things can't be taught.

In much of the preseason, Coach Brooks stressed the mental toughness. From all other accounts, it seems like this team is more confident than it has been in a while. I certainly hope that it is.

They'll need that confidence to win this year.

HEY WE STILL NEED MORE MAN LAWS! KEEP THEM COMING!

Man Laws

We still need your help... That's right as of right now we have four man laws. Don't miss out on your chance to permanently make your mark on ESPN Sports Radio 1300. The top 10 man laws will eventually be posted on www.wlxg.com and talked about for years to come.

These laws could include things such as...
When recieving free beer, a man cannot complain about the brand of beer, BUT can complain about the temperature
When going to a chick flick with a significant other, a man CAN enjoy the movie, but never can speak of the enjoyment
If a buddy takes one for the team and is your wingman for the night, if he happens to take her unattractive friend home so that you can have a good night, you can never speak of this to anyone. Remember, he did YOU a favor...
Two men must never share an umbrella under any circumstances

Keep your Man Laws coming and keep tuning into the Sports Huddle...

I promised all of you a look at the special teams on Monday so here it is:

The special teams are an interesting area for the Cats. There are some young guys in this group. Obviously it's hard to replace a Taylor Begley, but here's how things are shaping up.

Tim Masthay (6-2, 200, Soph) will be punting and kicking off for the Cats. Brooks said he has shown improvement in both his punting and kickoffs. However, kickoffs this year will be more difficut due to the rule change which has lowered the kicking tee. Look for the rest of the kickoff team to have to step up to stop some big returns.

The long snapper will be Jason Dickerson, a 6-1, 254lb Senior. The starting center, Matt McCutchan will be backing him up in case anything goes wrong.

As of today, J.J. Housley a 5-10, 186lb Sophomore will be kicking field goals and extra points for Kentucky. However, there is competition with Brian Scott a 5-11, 190lb Junior and Lones Seiber a 5-8, 180lb Freshman. This is going to be the most important position for the special teams. Not only are you trying to replace Taylor Begley, but if you are trying to play the spoiler teams, you HAVE to win some games by field goals. Therefore, Housley will have to make sure that he is ice cold mentally and is ready for those pressure situations. His foot could make or break a bowl for the Wildcats.

As for the rest of the players on special teams, look for freshmen to make an impact here at special teams. Until he starts, you might see Micah Johnson playing in many different positions in the special teams.

One more thing to note from today's press conference. Joe Schuler is no longer the starting strongside linebacker. He was out of preseason camp for 6 days due to a concussion and Johnny Williams a 6-3, 235lb sophomore took those days off to his advantage. Brooks said that Williams brings a different dynamic to the linebackers with his size and definitely looks for him to make an impact.

ANDRE WOODSON GETS THE NOD

I am just returning to the station after attending Coach Brooks' Monday press conference at Commonwealth Stadium where he officially said that Andre Woodson would be the man behind center for the Cats.

To listen to all of Coach Brooks' press conference, make sure you tune into the Sports Huddle tonight at 6:30.

I'll have more on this later...

I certainly hope that Marvin Lewis knows what he's doing. On Monday, Carson Palmer will take his first in game snaps behind center since absolutely destroying his knee seven months ago in a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Don't get me wrong, I fully understand the importance of getting game snaps in. However, there's still another preseason game after this one. I know it's only a week, but wouldn't you want to save Palmer as much as you could before the season. Since the Bengals got rid of John Kitna, if anything happens to Palmer... Doug Johnson will be taking snaps?!?!?!? Is that what they really want the season to come down to?

The hit to Palmer's knee almost destroyed his whole entire knee. I hope they're sure of the brace he's wearing and I hope they're sure that his knee will hold up. I almost hate to say it, but the whole Bengals season is dependent on Carson Palmer staying healthy. Yes I know that they have a great running back in Rudi Johnson, great recievers in Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson, and a great defense, but someone has to get the ball to the recievers and hand the ball off to Johnson. I feel like a huge security blanket was taken away with the absense of Kitna.

Save Palmer for one more game.

In other news (that I called a couple of days ago), the jail watch has shifted from the Bengals to the Titans. Yes, that's right Bengals fans, the police have found a new team to focus on. Titans cornerback Pacman Jones was arrested early this morning for disorderly conduct and public intoxication after police witnessed an argument involving Jones and a woman outside a nightclub where a rap concert was being held.

ESPN.com reports that Jones, 22, was described as slurring his speech, having bloodshot eyes and smelling strongly of alcohol.

Pacman argued that the woman stole his wallet and passed it to another woman.

Here's the kicker... Police asked him to leave several times and he just stood there cussing. If I'm drunk outside of a bar and the police come and ask me to leave, I don't care how drunk I am... I just say "Thank you very much officer, I'll be leaving now."

The NFL tries to help younger players with money, how about the NCAA and NFL teach players how to act when a policeman approaches them. Phrases like "Yes officer," "No officer," and "thank you officer" would be great places to start. The advanced classes would move onto things like "Please officer, I'll go quietly, you don't have to tazer me."

In UK news, I'll break down the special teams on Monday (or over the weekend). Look for matchups next week. I'll break down who will be covering who, and give you all a look at the Cardinals besides Bush and Brohm (since everyone already knows those two).

9 days until opening kickoff for UK...

But there's one problem that still remains.

Who will be taking snaps for the Cats this season?

Is it Curtis Pulley? The 6-4 200lb Sophomore who specializes in making things happen by his feet?

Or, is it Andre Woodson? The 6-5 232lb Junior who prefers to make things happen in the air.

It's simply a question of preference now. Does Brooks prefer an offense centered around the run, or the air? Most of all, it comes down to who can hold onto the ball. Whatever it is, he has to stick by his decision. There can't be flip flopping for quarterback this year (think of what happened to Tennessee last year). The offense needs to be able to rally around its signal caller. Not having a decision at quarterback is hurting the Cats more than it's helping them.

The decision time is flirting dangerously with a possible distraction. The offense needs a full week of working together before the Louisville game and they need to be confident in who is going to be leading them into battle.

I guess we're all going to have to wait and see what that decision is.

But I'd like to know who you think should be taking the snaps on the field for Kentucky.

Wow... Slow news days are fun. I wish I could put a great blog in here tonight but there's not much going on. So, in celebration of one of the last dog days of summer, I figured I'd give you all a rundown of the most pertinent news.

Pat Riley is going to return as coach of the Miami Heat.
Wow, I didn't see that one coming. Pat Riley has the chance to come back and coach Shaq, D-Wade, and the rest for one more year and make a bunch of money to do it... I'm shocked. The guy is coaching in Miami. His off days consist of golfing and laying out on the beach. Tough life.

The PGA Tour says they won't drug test until they see a pattern.
Yeah the last thing you have to worry about is golfers taking a minute to put down their beers so that they can take some roids. (We all had the discussion about Tiger and the shape he's in...) However, the majority of the golfers are not in shape like Tiger is. Wow this one makes me laugh. Did they feel like they had to comment on this one too since everyone else is. Looks like someone feels left out of the steroid party. In their defense, I wouldn't put it past ANYONE anymore to take steroids.

Again with the steroids...
Sprinter Justin Gatlin has taken responsiblity for his drug test although he still doesn't know how they got into his system. That's kind of a half hearted attempt at coming clean. But it is the closest we've had since Giambi. Unlike Giambi he actually admitted to having them in his system. The one thing I don't get though is how he was suspended in college for his ADD medicine. Isn't there a medical waiver they can fill out with their medications? I thought there was. Can't fault the guy for trying to do well in school while he was there.

The World Series of Poker Champion is being sued for half of his winnings
A television guy for the WSOP says that this year's champion promised him half of the winnings if he won. If I've said it before I'll say it again. Any comments made to another man about money in Vegas cannot be valid unless he says it outside of Vegas as well. I swear those lights do something to people. Make it a man law.

Some of the biggest news in the NFL is that Vince Young slapped his hand on a helmet accidentally in practice.
We're talking about practice here... By the way, what's up with the Titans and their camp. It seems like it's a tougher place to be than out on the town with the Bengals. Whats the over under on the number of days before a player gets tazed in practice?

Louisville is building a new facility which will hold the Cards basketball games
It's cool for them but I don't see why such a big deal is made about it. Good for them that they need a bigger place to play games. Don't get me wrong, I went to UK and all, but it'll just make for games at Louisville even better and more fans from both schools will get to go see the games. I don't see any harm in that. I guess I'm the type of person that wants to play the team when they're the best that they can be in the harshest of venues, just so I can beat them in front of their massive home crowd. It must be the athlete in me.

Almost one week until the UK vs. U of L game... Any predictions?

Tiger Woods could possibly be the greatest golfer that ever lived. At 30 years old he is only 6 majors away from Jack Nickalus who has 18. He's doing it faster than the Golden Bear could have ever dreamed of. The only major that he has ever missed the cut in (this year's US Open) almost lit a fire in Tiger; he has since won the next two majors (British Open, PGA Championship). However, I've heard a lot of people today trying to say that he could possibly be the best athlete ever. I'm not saying that he couldn't be, I'm just saying that we'll never know.

1. Tiger Plays an Individual Sport
How can we EVER compare an individual to a team. Tiger is the only one out there. If he has a bad day, he's the only one that suffers. If you are the star of your team, you either need to rely on other players to help or suffer the consequences. He has never had help, but he also hasn't had to work with multiple players to achive a common goal. Think about it, if all Michael Jordan had to do was play people 1 on 1, he would have won a lot more than he already had.

2. Golf is NOT a Contact Sport
Tiger never had to shoot a jumper with the game on the line while someone was fouling him. He never had to rush through the defense for a game winning touchdown run, or throw the touchdown pass while someone was tacking him. Tiger has never been slashed while skating on a breakaway and has never been hit by a 90 mile an hour fastball. All he's had to do is hit a golf ball (which believe me is hard... I golf. We all know how it is). But he's never had anyone legitimately challenge him. Golf is not a sport where someone else's play could effect your play. The only one on the course he has to worry about is himself. No one is going to be tackling him while he's hitting his 2nd shot on the 11th. The amount of pressure put on a golfer is not half as much as the pressure that someone is in when they're trying to find a reciever while standing in the pocket with a left tackle who has a knee injury. You don't know who might come and blindside you. Is it a Defensive End? Is it a Linebacker? Is it a Safety? Oh wait, here comes Phil Mickleson's Caddie... OUCH! What a hit! Tiger is down for the count and his approach shot only went 20 yards.
Even other individual sports like Boxing and the very popular Mixed Martial Arts like the UFC rely on one person competing against another in battle. I used to wrestle. I knew that my match depended on what the other person did and how I reacted to it. The only thing Tiger has to react to is the course.

3. The Greatest Athletes Weren't Golfers and We Don't Know What Else Tiger Can Do
We don't know what other players could have done if they had golfed instead of doing what they did. What if with practice MJ could have challenged Tiger. What if Teddy Ballgame's swing translated perfectly on the golf course as well? How would Tiger fare bottom of the 9th, full count, bases loaded, down by two? Could he hit the base hit to send in the tying run? We'll never know. I've never been too big on comparing athletes from other sports. Think of track and field... If you look at some of the 40 times of NFL athletes, don't you think that some of them would have been great sprinters? I do... But they chose to play in the NFL so we'll never know. A great athlete pretty much has their choice to play whatever sport they want (unless you're MJ trying to play baseball), but what makes us think that they couldn't have been great athletes in other sports as well. Yes this argument could play towards Tiger's favor, but the point I'm trying to make is that Tiger didn't play another sport, MJ didn't play another sport, Jim Brown didn't play another sport. Barry Sanders played football and did not run track. Michael Vick is the quarterback of the Falcons not the sprinter in the 100 yard dash.

I'm not trying to downplay the greatness that is Tiger Woods. I'm just saying that we can only speculate to his greatness in other sports arenas. Could you picture Tiger kicking the winning penalty kick in the World Cup? Tiger is in a league of his own, an athlete amongst a sport that has many of its elite with beer bellies. How can one measure the two? Tiger isn't running, hitting, kicking, punching, grappling... There's no blood in golf (unless you happen to trip coming out of a sandtrap). Until I see the greatest athletes compete in a wide variety of games (kind of like the olympics), I will never know for sure. I will say that I believe that Tiger will go down as the greatest golfer ever, but not the greatest athlete. Just like I believe that MJ will go down as the greatest basketball player ever, but not the greatest athlete.

Today on Mike and Mike, Deion Sanders came to the defense of Terrell Owens saying something to the effect of "Parcells needs TO more than TO needs Parcells."

I cannot tell you how much of a load of crap I think this is.

They both need each other equally. TO needed a team that was going to play him and pay him. The Cowboys needed a wide reciever.

Sanders claimed that TO makes everyone better from the offense that lines up with him to the defenses that line up against him on the practice field. One problem though, HE HASN'T BEEN PRACTICING.

There is one big reason why I would say that TO almost needs the Cowboys more than the Cowboys need TO... If TO fails with both the Cowboys and Eagles, what other team would want to pick him up? Wouldn't that solidify his status as a cancer to the team? I don't think he'd even be able to get a job in the CFL. He'd be outcast like a lepor. He'd have the plague. Wait, scratch that... He is the plague.

Honestly, you'd think that by now Owens would realize that he's getting older and he can't afford to miss half the season anymore. He's losing years that he can play, and money that he can make. That's the one thing he's focused on, isn't it?

But isn't that money the same thing that the Cowboys are focused on as well? If the Cowboys have good players, they'll win, if they win, they'll sell more merchandise, they'll sell more tickets, and in turn make more money.

Then I guess they both need each other. Either that or they both need money.